Protecting Europe’s external borders is of the utmost importance for the European Union in order to keep illegal migration in check. It is thus crucial that Spain immediately regains complete control over the worrying situation in Ceuta, where tens of thousands of people have illegally crossed the border into Spain. I have been in touch with my Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares, my Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita and EU colleagues on this matter. I welcome Morocco’s readiness to continue working closely with Spain to guarantee the security of the shared border and to take the migrants from Ceuta back as quickly as possible. What we need now is rapid and joint action in the interest of the European Union so that the Schengen area – one of the EU’s greatest achievements – can be protected and kept open.